VNL 2022: winning debut for Japan, Poland, France and Brazil
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2022 FIVB Men’s Volleyball Nations League continued on the European night.
Brazil set off on the right foot in their first encounter of the competition without major problems, in front of its own crowd in Brasília in Pool 1. Playing without Leal and injured Lucarelli, they beat Australia in 3 effortless sets (25:14, 25:18, 25:21).
Alan Souza was the most prolific player with 18 points, while Flávio Gualberto also contributed with 4 blocks.
On the same Pool, Yuji Nishida made a great performance in Japan’s first confrontation in the competition transformed the course of the match, as the Asians took advantage of their opponents’ errors to make a comeback against the Netherlands. After surrendering the first set, the winners found their finest rhythm and rallied, winning 3-1 (22:25, 26:24, 25:22, 25:17). Nishida, who was the top scorer of the game with 25 points, outscored Dutch opposite hitter Nimir Abdel-Aziz, the highest scorer in last year’s VNL, who had 18 points on the other side of the net, while Captain Yuki Ishikawa also contributed with 5 winning blocks.
In Pool 2, the France National Team got off to an ideal start in the competition with a new head coach on its bench, and Poland did it too.
The Olympic champions prevailed over Italy in Ottawa, Canada in their first match by 3-0 (25:22, 26:24, 25:19), and they will play against another big rival in the next match, in which they will face Serbia. For his debut on the bench of the France National Team in an official competition, which was against an Italian team of which he was the big star in the 90s, notably winning 3 consecutive world championship titles from 1990 to 1998, Andrea Giani was gifted by his guys with a clear victory over the reigning European champions despite the absence of some starters, who not traveled to Canada (Benjamin Toniutti, Jénia Grebennikov, Nicolas Le Goff and Trévor Clevenot). France dominated the 3rd set against a renewed Italy compared to that which was crowned continental rulers last September, but the first two were tight. The Olympic champions, for their part, mostly relied on middle-blocker Barthélémy Chinenyeze, who ended the game with 13 points, including 5 winning blocks.
On the same Pool, the current world champions Poland also had a successful start in this year’s VNL. They defeated the current Olympic bronze medalists Argentina without losing a single set, although not without having to fight hard for that in each of the sets (25:21, 25:22, 25:23).
Moreover, Poland didn’t go to Ottawa in the strongest lineup: among others, Bartosz Kurek and several starters of Grupa Azoty ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle, which won the CEV Champions League at the end of May, are absent. However, new head coach Nikola Grbić, had a victorious debut. Tomasz Fornal highlighted Poland with 14 points.
🏐| STANDINGS (updated on this day)
France 3
Germany 3
Poland 3
Brazil 3
USA 3
Serbia 3
Japan 3
Iran 3
Bulgaria 0
The Netherlands 0
China 0
Italy 0
Slovenia 0
Argentina 0
Australia 0
Canada 0
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— June 07, 2022 —
| Pool 1 – Week 1 – Brasilia 🇧🇷
• 18:00 (Local Time) China – Iran 1-3 (15:25, 25:19, 22:25, 15:25)
| Pool 2 – Week 1 – Ottawa 🇨🇦
• 16:30 (Local Time) Bulgaria – Serbia 1-3 (25:19, 19:25, 22:25, 25:20)
• 19:30 (Local Time) Canada – Germany 0-3 (19:25, 20:25, 28:30)
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— June 08, 2022 —
Pool 1 – Week 1 – Brasilia 🇧🇷
• 21:00 (Local Time) Slovenia – USA 0-3 (19:25, 19:25, 14:25)
👉🏼 18:00 (Local Time) Japan – The Netherlands 3-1 (22:25, 24:26, 25:22, 25:17)
Pool 2 – Week 1 – Ottawa 🇨🇦
👉🏼 16:30 (Local Time) Poland – Argentina 3-0 (25:21, 25:22, 25:23)
👉🏼 19:30 (Local Time) France – Italy 3-0 (25:22, 26:24, 25:19)
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— June 09, 2022 —
Pool 1 – Week 1 – Brasilia 🇧🇷
👉🏼 21:00 (Local Time) Brazil – Australia 3-0 (25:14, 25:18, 25:21)
• 15:00 (Local Time) Japan – China 3-1 (21:25, 25:19, 25:19, 25:18)
• 18:00 (Local Time) The Netherlands – USA 0-3 (12:25, 18:25, 16:25)
Pool 2 – Week 1 – Ottawa 🇨🇦
• 11:00 (Local Time) Germany – Argentina 1-3 (25:18, 22:25, 17:25, 20:25)
• 16:30 (Local Time) Serbia – France 1-3 (25:21, 22:25, 23:25, 23:25)
• 19:30 (Local Time) Poland – Italy 1-3 (25:21, 23:25, 20:25, 20:25)
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— June 10, 2022 —
Pool 1 – Week 1 – Brasilia 🇧🇷
• 21:00 (Local Time) Brazil – Slovenia 3-1
• 15:00 (Local Time) The Netherlands – Iran 3-0 (26:24, 25:21, 25:21)
• 18:00 (Local Time) Japan – USA 2-3 (25:17, 15:25, 21:25, 28:26, 9:15)
Pool 2 – Week 1 – Ottawa 🇨🇦
• 11:00 (Local Time) Serbia – Argentina 3-2 (25:16, 25:18, 18:25, 12:25, 15:6)
• 16:30 (Local Time) Bulgaria – Germany 2-3 (20:25, 25:22, 16:25, 25:20, 10:15)
• 19:30 (Local Time) France – Canada 3-0 (25:16, 25:23, 25:21)
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— June 11, 2022 —
Pool 1 – Week 1 – Brasilia 🇧🇷
• 21:00 (Local Time) Australia – Slovenia 0-3 (22:25, 20:25, 21:25)
• 15:00 (Local Time) USA – Brazil 3-1 (21:25, 27:25, 25:20, 25:20)
• 18:00 (Local Time) Slovenia – China 3-1 (25:18, 25:20, 18:25, 27:25)
Pool 2 – Week 1 – Ottawa 🇨🇦
• 13:00 (Local Time) Germany – Serbia 3-2 (27:25, 25:27, 18:25, 28:26, 18:16)
• 16:00 (Local Time) Bulgaria – Poland 0-3 (19:25, 19:25, 23:25)
• 19:00 (Local Time) Canada – Italy 0-3 (21:25, 18:25, 19:25)
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— June 12, 2022 —
Pool 1 – Week 1 – Brasilia 🇧🇷
• 21:00 (Local Time) Iran – Australia 3-1 (25:14, 25:22, 18:25, 25:15)
• 10:00 (Local Time) Brazil – China 0-3 (23:25, 29:31, 23:25)
• 13:00 (Local Time) Iran – Japan 0-3 (20:25, 14:25, 19:25)
• 16:00 (Local Time) The Netherlands – Australia 3-0 (25:20, 25:15, 25:23)
Pool 2 – Week 1 – Ottawa 🇨🇦
• 11:00 (Local Time) France – Poland 1-3 (25:21, 22:25, 21:25, 22:25)
• 14:00 (Local Time) Argentina – Italy 1-3 (20:25, 21:25, 25:16, 28:30)
• 17:00 (Local Time) Bulgaria – Canada 2-3 (18:25, 18:25, 26:24, 25:21, 11:15)
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